Big South Announces 2017 Preseason Volleyball Poll & Honors
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Defending Big South champion High Point University has been chosen the favorite in the conference’s annual preseason volleyball poll by the league’s head coaches, it was announced today by the conference office. In addition, Radford outside hitter Maddie Palmer (Simpsonville, S.C.) headlines the preseason All-Conference team as the Preseason Player of the Year.
High Point, under the direction of second-year head coach Tom Mendoza, received six first-place votes and 77 points to repeat as Big South champions in 2017. HPU, which went 23-10 last season with an 11-5 record in Big South matches, returns seven starters and 12 letterwinners from last year’s squad that was second in the league in hitting percentage, kills and service aces.
Palmer is the reigning Big South Player of the Year after leading the conference with 495 kills, 47 services aces and 568 points in 110 sets played a season ago. She was a six-time Big South Player of the Week selection in 2016, and was the only Big South player with more than 400 kills during the regular-season with 447. She finished the 2016 campaign ranked among the NCAA Top 30 leaders in points per set (5.16), kills per set (4.50) and aces per set (0.43). Palmer posted at least 15 kills in 21 matches last season -- including eight over 20, and was second on the squad with 353 digs to rank 10th in the Big South with 3.21 per set. She tallied 19 double-doubles, eight of which were in conference, and added 44 total blocks. In conference matches, Palmer averaged 4.58 kills (275 total), with 27 aces, 192 digs and 5.26 points per set. She was the only Highlander to be tabbed VaSID All-State First Team and one of two players in the Big South with first team honors.
Palmer collected seven first-place votes and 54 points for the Preseason Player of the Year honor, ahead of High Point’s Haley Barnes (two first-place votes and 49 points). Palmer and Barnes were joined on the preseason All-Conference team by High Point’s Molly Livingston, Radford’s Haley Kleespies, Liberty teammates Anna Gragg and Anna Willey, and Charleston Southern libero Madison Martin.
Radford received two first-place votes and 73 points to finish second in the preseason poll. Liberty was third in the voting with 62 points, ahead of Campbell (46 points). Charleston Southern, which garnered the remaining first-place vote, captured the fifth spot with 44 points, ahead of sixth-place Winthrop (38 points). UNC Asheville was picked seventh with 28 points, followed by Gardner-Webb (25) and Presbyterian College (12).
The 2017 Big South volleyball season begins Friday, Aug. 25, with 14 matches scheduled. Conference play begins Tuesday, Sept. 19, while the 2017 Big South Volleyball Championship is slated for Nov. 17-19 on the campus of Radford University.
2017 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Maddie Palmer, Radford, Sr., OH (Preseason Player of the Year)
Haley Barnes, High Point, Sr., OH
Molly Livingston, High Point, Jr., MB
Haley Kleespies, Radford, Jr., S
Madison Martin, Charleston Southern, Jr., LIB
Anna Gragg, Liberty, Soph., MB
Anna Willey, Liberty, Sr., S
2017 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL POLL
| Rank, Team (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 - High Point (6) |
77 |
| 2 - Radford (2) |
73 |
| 3 - Liberty |
62 |
| 4 - Campbell |
46 |
| 5 - Charleston Southern (1) |
44 |
| 6 - Winthrop |
38 |
| 7 - UNC Asheville |
28 |
| 8 - Gardner-Webb |
25 |
| 9 - Presbyterian College |
12 |
Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 9 points, followed by 8 points for second-place, and so on.